(Yicai Global) June 2 -- Fast food chain giant Yum China will work with leading US plant-based meat maker Beyond Meat to pilot artificial meat products in some of Yum China’s stores for a limited time. This will also mark the first sales of Beyond Meat’s iconic Beyond Burger in the Chinese Mainland.

Yum China’s KFC fast-food chain will launch a three-day public beta of faux-flesh burgers in five designated stores in Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Shanghai on June 3. Pizza Hut and Taco Bell will also serve fake steaks and mock meat tacos in some stores in Shanghai, Yum China in a statement on its site yesterday.

A wave of ersatz meat promotion has washed over China since April this year. KFC launched a trial of plant-based chicken nuggets in some restaurants in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Beyond Meat has also cooperated with coffee giant Starbucks to introduce five vegetable-based meat lunch products.

“We see great potential for the plant-based meat market in China,” said Joey Wat, CEO of Yum China. “This latest introduction across KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands is expected to capture valuable consumer feedback across different regions in China. It will enable us to optimize flavors and processes and help assess the potential for larger scale rollouts in the future. This exciting development is the latest iteration of our on-going commitment to introduce new and innovative products to Chinese consumers,” Joey Wat, Yum China’s chief executive, said in the statement.

Beyond Meat [NASDAQ:BYND] shares rose 8.11 percent to close at USD138.69 yesterday to bring its market cap to USD8.6 billion.

Editor: Ben Armour